Isn't syrup sugar+water, by definition? I agree with @pastrygirl that it is probably a chili oil of some kind - note that many chili oils are not just chili flakes and oil, but can be quite complex with herbs, spices, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, etc...

I read about the Bobo online and cross checked it here on Egullet and I think I read your post so I wanted to try the Bobo.

I got mine at Chung Shing Meats, 19 Catherine St, in Chi-town.

I didn't see any label to identify it as White or Black plume. The birds were 3.80 lb to over 4lbs in size.

You think a seller of the Black plume would make a difference and where should I buy that?

The owners of Chung Shing Meats should upgrade their facilities. The chicken might be alright but the place didn't have a clean look to it so I think that's the biggest reason for not going for another one unless there's a Black plume seller nearby?

The last time I bought chicken in Chinatown (quite a while ago) I think it was at Hong Li Meat Market on Mott St. north of Canal. Back then, Bo Bo listed the stores that sold their products on their website. The store was clean and well kept - they do cooked food in the front, and there's a meat market further back. They had silkies, old stewing chickens, black plume and white plume, plus quail, squab, etc... They weren't well labeled, but the bobo stuff has the yellow wing tag and the black plume look like they're a little scrawnier in the breast area... I had tried to ask questions, but I gave up since my Cantonese is a little rusty.... but they tried to be helpful... But it's been a while, so things may have changed...

I read on a separate post that the best chicken in NYC is a Bobo chicken.

I got mine at a store on Chinatown. The chicken tasted ok and it wasn't super good etc.

The Bobo was something like $3 a lb and a Bell & Evans at Whole Foods Organic Air Chilled chicken was $3.99

I think I'm sticking to the organic, air-chilled B&E one just bc the store in Chinatown wouldn't upgrade their facilities so the seller's kit is dirty looking etc. and the chicken doesn't have a package date and water accumulated in some (showing signs of age)

Which store in Chinatown did you go to? the last time I checked, Bobo had several different breeds on offer - there's the white plume, which is sort of like the normal supermarket chicken, and the black plume which is gamier, and more like the chicken you'd find in Asia - what some might call scrawny breasts and tough dark meat. I like it - I find it much more "chicken-y" than standard supermarket chickens like B&E.

While salmon is a staple in Japan, I haven't found many recipes where salmon is used in countries in Southeast Asia. Is it just a matter of the waters being too warm to support salmon or is it just not as popular as other fish?

Southeast Asia is tropical - so I don't think salmon would do well there. In the western hemisphere, consider if you would find salmon in the caribbean or in hawaii...

@TicTacSorry about that, you've mentioned your wife's shellfish allergy before - I should have remembered that. Is she allergic to fish as well as shellfish? My brother is allergic to crustaceans - shrimp, lobster, crab, but can eat anything else - like mussels, clams, fin fish, eel, etc.

The fish sauce I have is only made from anchovies, salt and sugar - even though the brand name is Squid.... ha!

lots of southeast asian food is great for celiacs because the staple is rice rather than wheat... rice based dishes, rice noodles, etc.... but other than that, I enjoyed reading about your pancake invention, @TicTac! Also, the salt addition is typically fish sauce rather than soy sauce (which I gather sometimes has wheat gluten added).

I like cucumbers vacuum-infused with lime juice. If you want to turn it into a full "dish" you can just marinade cucumbers and thinly sliced red onion in lime juice with some sugar and a dash of fish sauce. Throw in some mixed herbs like cilantro or mint or thai basil or whatever at the end. You can do that with or without a chamber vacuum, but it sure looks prettier if you compress it.

Cucumber and short ribs. There was a lime-zest and herb infused macadameia nut oil on the plate too. Citrus oils aren't acidic, but their aromatic qualities can help balance a dish. Also the Modernist Cuisine oxtail demi that has asian infusions. There's a lot of tamarind paste in the glaze to brighten up what is a quite thick and protein-rich glaze. That sauce is freaking magic, but it's a lot of work. If you make it in double quantity, you can freeze what you don't use.

And here's a vacuum infused cucumber, red onion, and cilantro salad with that dressing I was talking about. Sometimes I use honey instead of sugar. And I usually use a less refined sugar if I don't have Thai rock on hand. That stuff can be hard to dissolve if you don't bang it out in a mortar first, and who has the time for all that?!

Good god compressed cucumber is beautiful.

Anyway, with wagyu you need to punch people in the face:

Wasabi. Horseradish. Mustard. Acid. Fermented vegetables.

In a 4-5oz portion, there is a lot of fat, especially if it's one of the higher grades. Give people big piles of different salts on their plate, and grind some fresh cracked pepper on the side for them. Allow them to season as they go (but season the meat when you cook it, obviously...). Let people be their own Salt Bae. And Pepper Bae. Some boutique soy sauces would be good too. I have a few on hand that would be bangers, including a smoked soy sauce I got from Toiro kitchen. I might also try curing the wagyu between kombu and/or using seaweed salt in your prep work. I have some Japanese ayu fish sauce that's amazing and very hammy -- one of Dave Arnold's favorites. It would probably be even better than Red Boat. Speaking of, Blis makes a barrel aged Red Boat fish sauce that would be great for dipping. Make some nuoc cham, in whatever form or fashion you want.

The point is, there are options.

Looks great! There is palm sugar available in non-rock form... it comes in a small plastic tub with a screw cap. It has the consistency of a thick paste - or maybe like maple sugar candies that are soft and have a wet sand texture. When you first open the jar, the sugar is covered by a layer of wax that must be removed, but then scoops out easily with a teaspoon. If it starts to dry out, you can stick it in teh microwave for 10 seconds which will make it easier to scoop temporarily.

We had KPaul’s recipe for chicken gumbo from the freezer with Anson Mills Carolina Rice. We both kept saying “OMG this is sooo good”......we each must had said that four times. I don’t know what it is about that food that makes you say that.

No picture because it’s not that photogenic. We had some black beams from Louisiana Kitchen along side. And some CSO asparagus..steambake for 8 minutes.

Where did your andouille come from? To me, the right andouille makes all the difference in a good gumbo....

My issue with the Rotimatic is that the roti that I make (like in Malaysia/Singapore) is a laminated dough, made by taking the dough ball and stretching to a very thin sheet, then rolling up into a snake and curled into a disk. This gives the roti a great flaky texture - it's not just puffed...

@liuzhou Am I correct in assuming that fresh noodles are available near you? If so, how long do they last from purchase to cook time? Are they meant to be purchased the same day you'll use them, or do they last for a few days in the refrigerator or something?

@David Ross I'm curious as to your source for your satay recipe. In all of my sources, including from a cooking school teacher I had in Chiang Mai and Andy Ricker's Pok Pok book, coconut milk/cream is usually used in both the marinade of the satay and in any type of peanut sauce. All of the satay I've had in Thailand had a distinct coconuttiness (sp?) to it, as well as the red curry flavor.

Interestingly enough (at least to me), the Malaysian Nyonya version of satay (also found made by Muslims in Singapore) use no coconut at all, but make a rempah that would be similar to a red curry paste and a paste made from ground roasted peanuts cooked in boiling water for about a half hour.

I've grown and bred chiles for decades and this is the first I've heard of such a thing, It must be something new.

I suppose it depends on how you define the terms.

I dont' know about indeterminate chilis, but bell peppers can be either depending on the cultivar. From what I can tell, most greenhouse production use the indeterminate variety- just like in greenhouse tomato production. The determinate peppers are commonly called "field" peppers.

Put some of my larger tomatoes and a couple of tomatillos out under 'cosy coats'.

The pot is self rooted Cabernet Franc from our vines. They are dipped in growth powder and stuck in the dirt...in the garage over a heating pad for a few weeks and then outside to harden off and sprout. They are for a friend with a vineyard of Merlot...blending.

Do you need to use a phylloxera resistant rootstock for the cab franc?

Up here in Southern Ontario, we are starting to see wild garlic mustard, dandelions (though I have yet to figure out a way to prepare these which agree with me!), chives of various varieties, ramps (my little patch in the back is up), fiddle heads, spring garlic, to name a few...

My indoor seed experiment is doing quite well, at least the tomatoes are. I think my 18/6 light cycle for the peppers threw them into flower and might have fu$*eD them up and stunted their growth - its on 12/12 now and while the tomatoes are thriving, the peppers are healthy, but still trying to pop out flowers (which I keep picking off).

Arugula, snap peas, and lettuce seeds are all planted outdoors and starting to come out.

For determinate plants, 18/6 is vegetative cycle, 12/12 is flower. I can't imagine 18/6 is causing your peppers to flower... however, peppers can be indeterminate (are not light cycle sensitive) depending on the variety - just like some varieties of tomatoes, or some strawberries (and I'm sure other plants as well but I haven't looked into it). They basically start to flower after a few weeks of growth. For indeterminate tomatoes, I would pinch off flowers until the plant forms its 3rd truss of leaves... that will make sure the plant is strong enough to support fruiting. I haven't grown indeterminate peppers (or any peppers for that matter) before so I never researched the point at which you can let them fruit.

I'm a fan of MSG... I never used it as an ingredient until I read the Singaporean cookbook "Nyonya Specialties". This is a Singaporean book, not an American one, and it many recipes it has MSG as one of the ingredients. I don't think an American cookbook would call for MSG at all. Ever since trying it because of this book, I use it all the time with no ill effects - and my bloodwork has never looked better!

It's cold to work in my shop and in the garden in the late fall to spring. For a lot of work, gloves can be a problem. So I set my sous vide temperature to about 98F in a pot of water. When my fingers get numb and cold, I just immerse my hands into the hot water for a few seconds, towel them dry, and I am good to go for a while.

Numb fingers can be a danger working with tools.

dcarch

Wouldn't it be easier to get a space heater that you can use while you're down there for any extended period of time?